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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard returns 58 migrants to Dominican Republic following at-sea interdiction near Puerto Rico

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    10/07/2024 03:35 PM EDT

    The crew of Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Doyle and Joseph Napier returned 58 migrants to the Dominican Republic between Saturday and Monday, following the interdictions of an irregular, unlawful maritime migration voyage in Mona Passage waters near Puerto Rico. The cutter Joseph Doyle crew returned 56 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel, Saturday, while the cutter Joseph Napier crew repatriated two remaining migrants from the group to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel, Monday, just off Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. “Human smuggling in the Mona Passage is a dangerous and inadvisable venture,” said Lt. Cmdr. David S. Radin, Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle commanding officer.  “Smugglers will be identified and prosecuted and trafficked migrants will be repatriated to their country or returned to the country from which the voyage originated.  To those considering undertaking one of these voyages, don’t!  Instead, seek safe and lawful migration pathways.”

    For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: USGS deploys sensors along Florida’s Gulf Coast to measure impacts of Hurricane Milton

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Tampa, FL — As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey are deploying wave sensors at eight locations today in the Sunshine State between Naples and Crystal River to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm. 

    USGS Field crews will also install one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. This specialized piece of equipment is a fully-functional streamgage designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit real-time water level data in emergency situations. This data can be used by decision makers and emergency managers to monitor water levels as they work to save lives and property. 

    Potential impacts from Milton include life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the Florida Peninsula, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The USGS wave sensors will measure water levels and give insight on factors such as wave height and frequency as well as storm tide, which is storm surge combined with local tides. Storm tides are among the most dangerous natural hazards unleashed by hurricanes. They can destroy homes and businesses; wipe out roads, bridges, water and sewer systems; and profoundly alter coastal landscapes. 

    The sensors will be in place from before Milton arrives until the storm departs, and at that time, scientists will retrieve the instruments and analyze collected data. The resulting information can be used to fine-tune future storm surge and coastal change forecasts. The sensor data can help identify areas hit the hardest by storm surge and guide emergency responders and local officials with recovery efforts. Insight can also help inform flood insurance maps and building codes to improve structural designs for public safety.

    The wave sensors are housed in vented aluminum pipes a few inches wide and about a foot long. They are being installed on bridges, piers, and other structures that have a good chance of surviving the storm. 

    Information on the sensor deployment and rapid deployment gauge will be available on the USGS Flood Event Viewer.

    As the USGS continues to take all appropriate preparedness actions in response to Milton, those ­­­in the storm’s projected path can visit ready.gov or listo.gov for tips on creating emergency plans and putting together an emergency supply kit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mobile Homes and Municipalities Find Heat Pumps To Fit Their Needs

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Whether it is a sweltering summer or a frigid winter, digging just a few feet into the earth provides relief from the temperatures above. That is because, on average, the ground temperature is warmer than the air during the winter and cooler in the summer. This relatively constant subsurface temperature is one form of geothermal energy, and it offers a nationwide solution for home heating and cooling.

    Ancient civilizations—from Native Americans to Greeks and Romans—relied on geothermal energy for cooking, bathing, and heating. Today, one way that geothermal energy is harnessed is with ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs)—sometimes also called geothermal heat pumps—which use pipes buried in the ground to transfer heat to or from the ground to cool or warm buildings. GSHPs can reliably control indoor temperature and humidity throughout the year while using up to 80% less energy compared with conventional air conditioners or furnaces.

    Tranquility Estates, a mobile-home community in Raymond, New Hampshire, is one of the communities tapping into geothermal energy through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Expert Match program. C2C Expert Match offers free, short-term technical assistance to communities to address their near-term clean energy challenges and questions.

    Tranquility Estates residents applied to C2C Expert Match to get help identifying the right size of GSHP systems to meet the heating and cooling needs of the community. C2C Expert Match researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) used the resources of DOE’s Building Technologies Research and Integration Center to perform simulations and cost-benefit analyses to help the community understand the impacts of transitioning away from historically used energy sources.

    “They wanted to know whether a ground-source heat pump could maintain the room temperature they were used to with their existing system,” said Jamie Lian, ORNL’s technical lead for its C2C projects. “So we used ORNL’s Ground Source Heat Pump Screening Tool to simulate the performance of ground-source heat pump systems for 60 mobile homes to identify the right size of the heat pump and the ground heat exchangers needed for each home.”

    ORNL’s Ground Source Heat Pump Screening Tool is a publicly available techno-economic analysis tool for GSHP applications. It allows building owners; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system designers; and installers to estimate the benefits and costs of implementing a GSHP system in various buildings at all climate zones in the United States.

    Xiaobing Liu, an ORNL senior researcher who leads ORNL’s geothermal program, compared a GSHP’s performance to the mobile homes’ existing air conditioning units and gas furnaces. Liu simulated hourly electricity consumption for an entire year to compare both options.

    “Based on our simulation, we can predict the room temperature and see whether that temperature can be maintained during the year, especially in the winter,” Liu said. “Our simulation shows that the GSHP system can keep these homes at their desired temperature throughout much of the year, except for a few hours when the ambient is very cold, in which case the room temperature is slightly below the set point. The GSHP eliminates fossil fuel usages for space heating in these homes, and the annual electricity use increases by less than 10%.”

    Though electric use slightly increases, the move away from oil, propane, and natural gas-powered technologies—and instead relying on a solar farm to power the GSHP—would help the Tranquility Estates community reduce its energy bills in addition to reducing carbon emissions.

    “Raymond, New Hampshire, is one of a handful of communities we’ve supported through C2C Expert Match that are interested in exploring the potential role of geothermal energy in decarbonizing emissions in residential and commercial buildings,” said NREL’s Darylann Aragon, who leads the C2C Expert Match Program.

    Heat Pumps Can Utilize Air and Water Temperatures Too

    GSHPs are just one type of heat pump that communities are using to meet their unique needs now while simultaneously preparing for more renewable systems in the future.

    “In the broader energy transition away from fossil fuels, heat pumps represent a practical and scalable technology that can be adopted with existing infrastructure while supporting future energy systems,” said Jian Sun, an ORNL researcher whose heat pump expertise, along with ORNL researcher Yanfei Li’s, helped the city of Rockland, Maine, during its C2C Expert Match participation.

    After Rockland transitioned to 100% renewable municipal electricity in 2020, the city turned its focus to electrifying its public facilities. Before applying for Efficiency Maine’s Municipal Electrification Retrofit funding opportunity, the city wanted help identifying which facilities were best suited for a retrofit.

    The proposed air-source heat pump solution for the Flanagan Community Center in Rockland, Maine, has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 45% and save 42% in energy cost, compared to the current baseline boiler heating approach. Photo from Jenny Carter, City of Rockland

    “They wanted to know which technologies covered by the funding opportunity were best suited for the three facilities they were considering: the Rockland Fire Department, Flanagan Community Center, and a public services facility,” Sun said.

    With a limited amount of time to perform the energy analysis needed, ORNL advised Rockland to focus on its Flanagan Community Center, which involved analyzing air-source, water-source, and ground-source heat pumps and a variable refrigerant flow system.

    “We investigated what the cost would be to transition those heating devices to heat pumps,” Sun said. “There are many different types of heat pumps out there in the market, so they needed help understanding which is more suitable for their cold climate.”

    And climate suitability is only one of several factors that need to be considered when retrofitting a building with a heat pump, according to Lian.

    “It’s not just an operational cost that you need to consider,” Lian said. “When we translate the energy efficiency savings to the cost savings, it’s really case-dependent because in some locations the consumption rate might be lower or higher, so the savings could greatly vary. Then you have other costs, like installation cost, maintenance cost, design cost. So, there are many different costs that need to be considered during this process.”

    Aragon added that holistic and transparent information can help communities make informed decisions about what is best for them.

    “We continue to support many communities—more than 30 and counting—that have questions around both new building decisions and decarbonizing buildings through expert insights on energy efficiency measures and retrofits,” she said.

    The research team created a presentation to help city staff understand the results of the analysis: The proposed air-source heat pump solution has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 45% and save 42% in energy cost, compared to the current baseline boiler heating approach.

    The C2C Expert Match analysis helped the city identify additional building updates that would need to precede an electrification retrofit. A cost-benefit analysis led the city to determine that it was “not a good fit” for Efficiency Maine’s Municipal Electrification Retrofit program, according to Jenny Carter, a sustainability coordinator for Rockland.

    “With the help of Expert Match, we were able to understand the full value of an electrification retrofit—to the building and the broader community—and pursue next steps to develop cost estimates and identify required repairs before an electrification retrofit can take place,” said Carter, who noted that the Expert Match information continues to help the city pursue other building retrofit funding opportunities.

    Expert Match applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more about all of C2C’s program opportunities and apply on the C2C website.

    C2C connects community-based groups, local governments, utilities, and other organizations with national-laboratory experts to close the gaps between communities’ clean energy ambitions and real-world deployment. The technical assistance offered through C2C can offer meaningful insights around clean energy decision-making to help communities achieve resilient clean energy systems that embody local and regional priorities. For example, C2C analysis can provide insights on the financial and social costs and benefits of electric vehicles, geothermal systems, or capturing and storing solar energy. Such analysis provides community-specific information on the funding and support needed to bring clean energy projects to fruition.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Food Sales Tax Axed by Governor Kelly to be Fully Eliminated in 2025 – Governor of the State of Kansas

    Source: US State of Kansas

    KEY QUOTE: “Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said this tax reduction is ‘a win for the Kansas people.’ ‘All people have been talking about for the past two years or so has been inflation and particularly the cost of food,’ Kelly said. ‘Now that’s waning, coming down quite significantly, but by eliminating the sales tax on food — you take a 6.5% reduction in the cost of food for people — that makes a huge difference to many, many people. Now I think we calculated that the average family of four would save over $500 a year, just on sales tax elimination.’”

    Kansas to eliminate food sales tax in 2025
    Meredith McCalmon, Kansas State Collegian
     Oct. 2, 2024

    • State sales tax on food in Kansas will reduce to 0% by Jan. 1, 2025 — a process which began in 2023 in accordance with House Bill 2106. According to a publication by the Kansas Department of Revenue, [the] Kansas legislature reduced food tax from 6.5% to 4% in Jan. 2023, to 2% in Jan. 2024 and will eliminate it completely on Jan. 1, 2025.
    • Daniel Kuester, director of undergraduate studies in economics at Kansas State, said this bill is especially impactful to low-income individuals. “I personally look at this as more of a way to remove what is, in essence, a regressive tax,” Kuester said, “Because the people with the least amount of income pay the highest percentage of their income on sales tax, particularly those on things like groceries.”
    • Basil Knight, junior in music education, said saving money on groceries would allow them to make more meals instead of eating fast food. “It’s so hard, with groceries being so expensive, to be able to afford getting enough for three meals a day…But now knowing that there won’t be taxes on it [groceries], it’ll be less expensive and I won’t have to waste so much money eating out all the time.”
    • Kelly said she talked with many Kansans for public input on the food sales tax reduction. “[I had] lots and lots of conversations with folks…In fact, I did a sort of around-the-state tour when we [proposed] to axe the sales tax, so I heard from lots and lots of people about how much they would appreciate the elimination of that sales tax. … I know people are very pleased that we did what we did.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4325-4326: (Not Quite) Dipping Our Toes in the Sand

    Source: NASA

    3 min read

    Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 4, 2024

    If you read this blog very often, you know that nearly every time the rover stops for science, MAHLI and APXS focus on interesting (and accessible!) rocks as targets. The rover science team is, after all, built with a lot of geologists. But geology is not all rocks, all the time — sand is former rock that if buried and pressurized long enough will become rock again. Today was time for sand to shine, as the workspace was cut by troughs of sand of different colors and brightnesses, and it had been nearly 500 sols since we acquired our last dedicated sand measurement with APXS and MAHLI. The “Pumice Flat” target was one of the brighter sand patches while “Kidney Lake” was one of the darker sand patches. APXS uses a special placement mode over sand targets so the instrument gets close, but not too close, to the loose material which could foul up the instrument. Not-rock was also the purview of our environmental observations. Navcam is scheduled for imaging seeking out clouds and dust devils, and changes in the sand and dust on top of the rover deck. Both Navcam and Mastcam will make observations to measure the amount of dust in the atmosphere. REMS will keep track of our weather with regular measurements, RAD will monitor our radiation environment, and DAN will look through rock for signs of water beneath our drive path.

    Unsurprisingly, the rest of the rover could not ignore bedrock. We managed to squeeze in DRT cleaning of a nice bedrock slab, “Ribbon Fall,” for MAHLI-only imaging. In places, the bedrock slabs were cut by thin veins of darker gray material, similar to dark gray materials we saw in the bedrock on the other side of Gediz Vallis. ChemCam targeted one of these dark gray examples at “Black Divide,” and also rastered across some of the prominent layers visible in the vertical faces in the workspace at the aptly named “Profile View.” 

    Our imaging efforts could be roughly divided between looking back at our path through Gediz Vallis from our new and higher perspective, and looking ahead to what awaits us. ChemCam planned RMI mosaics back toward a field of the white stones we spent time studying in Gediz Vallis and toward a part of the edge of Gediz Vallis that we did not explore previously. Mastcam looked back at the part of the edge of Gediz Vallis we just traversed, “Pilot Peak,” for clues as to why it sits higher than the bedrock farther from the channel edge. They also targeted “Clyde Spires,” which was a gravel ridge in Gediz Vallis of interest as we drove by it initially. Looking ahead, Mastcam imaged a puzzling gray rock sitting atop the bedrock slabs south of us at target “Buena Vista Grove,” and further south still, they planned a large mosaic covering a very big rock — the spectacular “Texoli” butte that has loomed and will continue to loom over our path for months to come.

    Written by Michelle Minitti, Planetary Geologist at Framework

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: JYNNEOS Coverage Fact Sheet

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends vaccination with the 2-dose JYNNEOS vacine series for persons aged 18 years and older at risk for mpox. For a summary on mpox vaccine recommendations, click here.

    Health insurance coverage policies for JYNNEOS include:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Ensuring a More Equitable Future for All With CARE Scholar Isha Agarwal

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    Students in front of the entrance at 1 St-Thomas (credits: Pierre Morel)

    Virtual Undergraduate Open House day on 30 November 2024

    Come meet our teams and students at our campuses.

    Sign-up

    Virtual Graduate Open House day on 19 october 2024

    Meet faculty members, students and representatives and learn more about our 30 Master’s programmes.

    Sign-up

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2026 Proposed Rule

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    Introduction

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is more popular than ever: A new report shows that nearly 50 million people – or one in seven Americans – have had ACA Marketplace coverage at some point.[1]

    Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, ACA coverage has become more affordable than ever: People with ACA Marketplace coverage save an average of $800 per year, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, and benefit from additional outreach and assistance to get the coverage that best meets their needs. 

    The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring Marketplace coverage remains accessible and affordable.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DoD Announces Health Care Supplement Program Pilot for DOD Civilian Employees in Japan

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced a one-year pilot program to provide no-cost supplemental health support services to DoD civilian employees serving in Japan after a yearlong effort to identify and address concerns regarding access to medical care.

    “The Department recognizes the significant contributions of our DoD civilian workforce around the world,” said Ashish Vazirani, who is performing the duties of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “In keeping with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s commitment to taking care of all our people, we owe it to our civilians to facilitate access to health care no matter where they are. The support from this pilot program will help enhance the patient experience for the approximately 11,000 civilians stationed in Japan through the new pilot.”

    This pilot is called the Pilot Health Insurance Enhancement for DoD Civilian Employees in Japan and will assist eligible civilian employees with health care navigation and upfront costs associated with accessing Japan’s healthcare system.

    To be eligible, the employee must be enrolled in a participating health plan through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. The enrollment window for eligible employees will be the Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs this year Nov. 11 through Dec. 9. Federal Benefits Open Season allows federal civilians to enroll in or change health care options.

    The services provided under this pilot will begin Jan. 1, 2025, when participants can use the services and access support through a call center. The call center will be open 24/7 and staffed with bilingual service representatives who will assist callers with identifying their needs, make appointments with provider offices, and issue payment guarantees up front. Dependents are not eligible for services during the pilot, which runs through Sept. 29, 2025.

    Employees working in Japan with the following military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities are eligible for this supplemental coverage:

    • Department of the Air Force
    • Department of the Army
    • Department of the Navy
    • Defense Information Systems Agency
    • Defense Logistics Agency
    • Department of Defense Education Activity
    • Defense Commissary Agency
    • Defense Contract Management Agency
    • Defense Finance and Accounting Service
    • Defense Health Agency
    • Defense Media Activity
    • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
    • National Security Agency
    • Defense Intelligence Agency
    • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

    “We are excited to offer this program,” said Seileen Mullen, who is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. “This is a no-cost supplemental service, and we encourage civilian employees in Japan to use it.”

    The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs will oversee the pilot program and has awarded a $4.2 million contract to International SOS Government Services Inc., which is also the prime contractor for the TRICARE Overseas Program. The contract for this pilot is being funded by the military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities that have civilian employees working in Japan.

    Active-duty service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries have prioritized access to health care in military hospitals and clinics based on current federal law and DoD policy. DoD civilians who are not TRICARE beneficiaries may use military health facilities on a space-available basis.

    Agreements with FEHB insurance carriers who currently provide coverage for DoD civilian employees in Japan will be established to provide direct billing agreements. Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) employees are eligible for this program if enrolled in an Aetna International plan.

    Additional details dedicated to this pilot program will be announced before Federal Benefits Open Season begins. This information will also be posted to web sites for military hospitals and clinics in Japan in their “Getting Care” section.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Leading the International Conversation on Climate Action With CARE Scholar Evelyn Mang

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    Students in front of the entrance at 1 St-Thomas (credits: Pierre Morel)

    Virtual Undergraduate Open House day on 30 November 2024

    Come meet our teams and students at our campuses.

    Sign-up

    Virtual Graduate Open House day on 19 october 2024

    Meet faculty members, students and representatives and learn more about our 30 Master’s programmes.

    Sign-up

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: USGS Coastal Change Experts Warn of Heightened Risks for Florida’s West Coast as Hurricane Milton Approaches in the aftermath of Helene

    Source: US Geological Survey

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – U.S. Geological Survey experts project that Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast as early as Wednesday, will bring significant coastal change. 

    Currently, 95 percent of the sandy beaches on Florida’s west coast are forecasted to become inundated—meaning continuously covered by ocean water—from Milton, according to a USGS coastal change forecast issued Monday. This is the most severe level of coastal change and can cause flooding behind sand dunes that may impact coastal communities. 

    USGS experts estimate Milton’s waves and surge have the potential to cause both 100 percent of all ocean-facing beaches in Florida to experience erosion and overwash. Overwash occurs when water levels reach higher than the top of dunes. When a beach is overwashed, sand can be pushed and deposited inland, causing significant changes to coastal landscapes and blocking roadways. Overwash can reduce the height of protective sand dunes, alter beach profiles, and leave areas behind the dunes more vulnerable to future storms. 

    “The significance of the coastal change forecast for Milton’s impact to the Florida west coast cannot be overstated as I believe communities are more vulnerable to this storm’s impacts due to the erosion that occurred recently from Helene,” said Kara Doran, a USGS supervisory physical scientist who works on the coastal change forecast. “Our initial analysis looking at imagery collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after Helene shows most of the west coast experienced overwash or inundation and complete erosion of dunes, so those protective dunes are no longer in place for many locations.”

    According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton may bring life-threatening storm surge along with hurricane-force winds, and heavy rain. 

    This USGS coastal change forecast for Milton is a worst-case scenario that can provide vital insights to help emergency management officials make informed decisions. 

    USGS coastal change forecasts will continue to be updated (here: https://marine.usgs.gov/coastalchangehazardsportal/ui/alias/ptc92024) as the storm approaches land and real-time coastal change forecasts for individual locations along the coast are available in the Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast Viewer. 

    As the USGS continues to take all appropriate preparedness actions in response to Milton, those in the storm’s projected path can visit Ready.gov for tips on creating emergency plans and putting together an emergency supply kit. 

    Learn more about USGS hurricane science.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: CNO Remarks at Hampton Roads Navy Birthday Ball

    Source: United States Navy

    Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Admiral Caudle. Thank you everyone. Thank you so much for such an incredible welcome. And let me just echo what Admiral Caudle just said. Happy birthday, Navy.

    Honorable Kiggans, Mary Dyer, Mayor Alexander Admiral Caudle, lieutenant general Shea, flag general, officers Senior enlisted leaders, distinguished guests, industry partners, allies and partners. All of our active and reserve sailors, Navy civilians, and all of our families that are here. It is truly an honor for me to be here with you tonight and celebrate the Navy’s 249th birthday, 249 years.

    As you saw in the video, Warfighting Strength and Readiness. I do want to start tonight by also echoing a few thank yous. So let me say first, thank you to the Sea Cadets who are our color guard our tonight. You are the future of our Navy. Great to see you all. And I also want to say thank you to the Fleet Forces Command Band.

    I hope you’re getting a chance to eat now, because we know we’re looking forward to that great concert later on tonight. So how about fleet forces command band.

    And also to echo Admiral Caudle to Lou and Mary Ellen and many of our teammates here from the Navy League and all the sponsors, but to the Navy League in particular. Thank you for putting together another spectacular birthday celebration. And thank you for your continued support, commitment and advocacy for our sailors and our Navy families every day, not just on our birthday.

    How about a big round of applause for the Navy League and everything you all do, Thank you.

    Of course, the most special guests here tonight are all of our sailors, our Marines, our midshipmen, our Navy, civilians, and other teammates. Thank you for answering our nation’s call to service. Every single one of you has a choice in what you decide to do in your life. And you all have chosen to serve something greater than yourself. And I am grateful for each and every one of you.

    And to all of our families and our big support networks out there, whether you’re here tonight or you’re at home. I also want to extend my thanks to you. Thank you for your own service and your sacrifice. Those of us in the uniform, we cannot do what we do every day without your encouragement, without your love, and without your incredible support.

    So how about a big round of applause for all our families out there tonight.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the birth of our navy came nearly a year before our nation’s independence. And on October 13th, 1775. In the early months of the Revolutionary War, our navy embarked on what would eventually become an congressionally mandated mission to man, train, and equip our forces for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea. With a fleet of just two armed vessels and 80 sailors each.

    Our Navy moved forward with a strong sense of purpose and urgency, protecting American trade, seizing enemy supplies, and attacking British vessels at sea. Equally inexperienced, but driven by their patriotism, these bold and courageous sailors delivered our nation its very first dose of warfighting advantage. Effectively cutting the redcoats off from their supply lines at sea and challenging the British fleet’s superiority, our newly established Continental Navy found immediate success.

    And from that point on, there was no turning back. The great American experiment was truly underway, and with it, the legacy of America’s warfighting Navy over the many centuries, battles, and wars since then, our Navy sailors have continued to deliver warfighting advantage, operating far forward and always ready. As you saw in the video and you’ve lived it yourselves.

    To preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war when called. They did it in the Great War when our convoys of battleships, submarines and auxiliaries crossed the U-boat infested waters of the Atlantic, escorting soldiers and supplies to the Western Front, they did it during World War Two, when our massive fleet of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines delivered decisive combat power in consequential campaigns like the Battle of Midway, Operation Overlord, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

    And they did it again in the Cold War, when our team of sailors, civilians and industry partners created the most lethal and combat credible force the world had ever seen. When you fast forward to today. This year has been no different. We have continued that great legacy of our Navy and demonstrated another year of warfighting strength and readiness, as you’ve all seen, and maybe you’ve been there.

    Our Navy and Marine Corps team is in high demand in the Middle East under Operation Prosperity Guardian. Our sailors worked tirelessly with over 20 nations to save lives, to defend the rules based international order and ensure the free flow of commerce, knocking down hundreds of missiles and drones at a level of intensity not seen since World War two.

    So tonight I’d like to recognize a few groups, and you’ll see there’s a lot of thanks in here and a lot of applause in here, but we can’t say thank you enough. So I want to recognize our sailors and our teammates here tonight. Both those who deployed all around the world this year, as well as those who got them ready for that deployment and supported them from here ashore.

    So there were many commands that deployed. I’ll just name a few. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing three and its nine squadrons, the Philippine Sea. You can clap if you’re from there. The Destroyer Squadron 22, USS Gravely Mason, Laboon, Carney, the Florida, military Sealift Command, the supply of the Kanawa and the Alan Shepard who delivered munitions, supplies and goods to sustain our people in our fleet and many other forces.

    So if you deployed in the past year, you are year 249 leading up to year 250. Stand up so we can give you a round of applause for your warfighting prowess. Thank you.

    But there’s also that second group, those commands that we don’t always ask to stand up. They play an incredibly important role ashore, preparing our fleet to deploy and supporting them while they are deployed, like afloat training group Atlantic, Carrier Strike Group four. You can clap if you’re from their Nordic Semitic, the regional maintenance center. All of our fleet readiness centers and all of our medical folks that got our people, ready and out the door.

    Your efforts ensured the readiness of our fighting forces. And let me tell you, their successes would not happen without you. So if you had a hand in making these deployments so successful, please stand up so we can thank you.

    The story of these sailors, civilians and teammates that we just talked about over the last year and we saw in the video really the story of all the war fighters here tonight. Those are just a small sampling of the many stories that are being told all across America’s war fighting Navy and it’s a Navy that works around the globe and around the clock.

    And as we celebrate tonight, thousands more of our sailors and Marines continue to operate far forward, at risk and in challenging environments all around the world, from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red sea to the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean everywhere in between. Our team is standing the watch in every domain on, under and above the sea. So let’s all send a quick thought to them.

    A thought of thanks to all the sailors and Marines for standing the watch and keeping us safe so we can enjoy this wonderful evening together. I could not be more proud of this amazing Navy team, active, reserve sailors, our civilians, our families. There is no other Navy in the world, no other joint force in the world who can train, deploy and sustain such a lethal combat.

    Credible force at the pace, scale and tempo that we do. So that’s why I’m so happy to be back here in Norfolk to celebrate our Navy’s birthday with all of you, with the fleet, with the warfighting fleet who have been operating far forward at that point of friction with our adversaries and at the point of friendship with our allies and partners in every corner of the globe.

    You are America’s warfighting Navy in action. And as we look to the future and to the decisive decade ahead, I am confident that our team will continue to serve with honor, courage and commitment. Building on the proud legacy of our heroic sailors and working tirelessly to raise our baseline level of readiness for potential conflict anytime and anywhere. Tonight, like every night for the last 249 years, our Navy is standing the watch deterring aggression, defending our nation’s security and preserving our way of life.

    And this year, like every year in our storied history, we celebrate the birth of our service and take pride in being part of the world’s preeminent fighting force. So as we gather tonight in the company of family and friends sharing a bunch of sea stories and lots of memories from our time in the fleet. Let us also remember that we are here to honor all of our sailors past, present, and future who answer our nation’s call to serve a cause greater than themselves.

    To wear the uniform that symbolizes freedom all around the world, and to ensure that America remains that beacon of freedom and democracy for all to see. We will continue to build on their contributions and share the story of our Navy. The story of 249 years about warfighting strength and readiness. So let me again wrap up by saying thank you.

    Thank you for what you do. Thank you for your support, your service and your sacrifice. Each of you plays a vital role in our Navy and what you do every single day matters to our Navy and to our nation. As your 33rd CNO, I could not be more proud to serve alongside you. And as we head into our 250th birthday next year, I can’t wait to see what this year brings.

    Thank you very much. Have a wonderful evening. Get to that rock concert. I’m excited about that. And all ahead, flank. Thank you very much.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Year of Sorrow

    Source: USAID

    One year ago today, Hamas orchestrated a brutal terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, many of whom are still held by Hamas or unaccounted for to this day. Forever seared into our collective consciousness are the memories of young people at a concert running for their lives, seniors and young children huddling in terror in their homes, and the searing sounds of the victims’ final words to their loved ones. We mourn all those that were murdered that day and grieve with all those who have suffered since.  

    In February, I visited Kibbutz Be’eri, situated on the Gaza periphery, where nearly 100 people were murdered and nearly 30 taken hostage. I saw the horrors that were perpetrated when terrorists attacked a peaceful community and murdered and kidnapped innocent people en masse. I spoke with a father who, in the hours after the attack, attempted to get his children to safety – covering their eyes as they ran so they wouldn’t have to see the carnage around them. He showed me the place where his kids’ grandfather and grandmother were executed at point blank range. We must not forget the lives lost, the families broken, and those who have endured 365 excruciating days of waiting for word of their stolen loved ones. 

    And in the year since, the human cost of the war that began due to the attacks on October 7 has been unimaginable. Across the region, innocent men, women, and children who wanted nothing more than to live in peace and safety have been killed. We mourn all those who have lost their lives in Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon, and the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza – including more than 11,000 children. When I spoke with Palestinians during a visit to the West Bank earlier this year, one man told me that a single Israeli airstrike killed 16 of his grandchildren. So many in Gaza are hungry, sick, and cold – displaced from their homes, and approaching winter with little to no shelter. 

    Across our own USAID community, staff have been deeply impacted by the carnage and trauma of October 7 and the past year of war and humanitarian crisis – including by the horrific deaths and serious injuries of family and friends in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon. In Gaza, USAID-funded local implementing partner staff and volunteers have been among those who have been injured and killed during Israeli military operations.  

    Looking back over the last year, nothing will bring back those who have died, and nothing can undo the agony people have been living through. Looking forward, all those involved in this conflict must do more to prevent further suffering. The U.S has been the single largest provider of aid to the Palestinian people since October 7, and we continue our relentless push for an enduring ceasefire that will bring home the hostages and end the war in Gaza, as well as our humanitarian efforts and support for diplomacy to provide much-needed relief to people across the region.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ball Corp. subsidiary to pay $309K to settle hiring discrimination of Black applicants at Georgia facility

    Source: US Department of Labor

    ROME, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced Ball Container LLC, a subsidiary of Ball Corp., has entered into a conciliation agreement in which the employer will pay $309,000 in back wages and interest to resolve alleged race-based hiring discrimination at the company’s beverage manufacturing facility in Rome. 

    A routine compliance review by the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that, from Feb. 1, 2020, through Jan. 31, 2021, the employer discriminated against 192 Black applicants for production technician positions at the facility. The agency determined Ball Container’s actions violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

    In addition to paying back wages and interest, Ball Container agreed to provide four job offers to eligible class members when positions become available, review and revise its hiring process and provide training to all managers, supervisors and other company officials involved in the hiring process. 

    “Discrimination is preventable when employers have nondiscriminatory hiring procedures in place and see to it that they are followed,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Acting Director Michele Hodge. “OFCCP will use every action available by law to ensure workers and job seekers are treated fairly, and that everyone has access to good paying jobs.”

    “Federal contractors that fail to give equal consideration to all applicants – regardless of gender, race or ethnicity – violate the law,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Acting Southeast Regional Director Diana Sen in Atlanta. “There is no gray area for federal contractors, as regulations require them to ensure equal opportunity for all workers and compliance with federal employment laws.” 

    Headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, Ball Corp. is a federal contractor that supplies aluminum packaging for beverage, personal care and household products, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Since 2020, Ball Corp. has received more than $1.1 billion in contracts with the Department of the Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Space Development Agency.   

    OFCCP launched the Class Member Locator to identify applicants or workers who may be entitled to monetary relief and/or consideration for job placement as a result of OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. If you think you may be a class member, someone who applied for a production technician position with Ball Container LLC at its Rome facility during the investigative period, please use OFCCP’s Class Member Locator to learn more about this and other settlements.

    In addition to Executive Order 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. Together, these laws prohibit employment discrimination.

    Learn more about OFCCP.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor recovers $132K in wages, damages for 72 wholesale tortilla manufacturing workers in Los Angeles County

    Source: US Department of Labor

    Employer:                                 La Flor de Mexico Inc.

    Investigation site:                      5121 Commerce Drive

                                                       Baldwin Park, CA 91706

    Investigation findings: A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the wholesale tortilla manufacturer in Los Angeles County failed to pay minimum wage to 72 employees for all hours worked and overtime premium rates for hours over 40 in a workweek, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Investigators also discovered a joint employment relationship between La Flor de Mexico and Employee Force Provider, a staffing agency the manufacturer used to hire most of its workers and co–manage the day-to-day operation of the tortilla manufacturing business.

    Wages, Damages Recovered:   $66,253 in back wages for 72 workers 

                                                       $66,253 in liquidated damages for 72 workers                     

    Quote: “The U.S. Department of Labor will always be vigilant to ensure all employers comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Skarleth Kozlo in West Covina, California. “Workers must be paid correctly and on time for their work.”

    Background: The Wage and Hour Division learned about this case thanks to a news segment by television reporter Cecilia Bográn that aired at Univision Los Angeles on May 20, 2024. La Flor de Mexico Inc. is a manufacturer and supplier of wheat, corn, oat and multigrain tortillas, as well as lavash and flatbread.

    Workers can use the division’s Workers Owed Wages search tool to see if they are owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division for assistance at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free in English or Spanish. 

    This news release is also available in Spanish. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tech Today: Spraying for Food Safety

    Source: NASA

    Whether protecting crops from diseases and pests or sanitizing contaminated surfaces, the ability to spray protective chemicals over important resources is key to several industries. Electrostatic Spraying Systems Inc. (ESS) of Watkinsville, Georgia, manufactures electrostatic sprayers and equipment that make this possible. By licensing NASA electrostatic technology, originally made to water plants in space, ESS’s improved spray nozzles efficiently use basic laws of electricity to achieve complete coverage on targeted surfaces. 
    ESS traces its origins to research done at the University of Georgia in the 1970s and ’80s. An electrostatic sprayer works by inducing an electric charge onto atomized droplets. Much like an inflated balloon sticking to a wall when it’s gained a charge of static electricity, the droplets then stick to targeted surfaces.
    NASA’s interest in this technology originated with astronauts’ need for an easy way to support plant-growth experiments in space. On the International Space Station, watering plants without the help of gravity isn’t as easy as using a garden hose on Earth. In the future, using a system like an electrostatic sprayer on the space station or other orbiting destination could help the water droplets stick to the plants with uniform coverage. However, most spraying systems require large sources of water and air to properly aerosolize fluids.

    As both air and water are precious resources in space, NASA needed an easier way to make these incredibly small droplets. Charles Buhler and Jerry Wang of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida led the efforts to develop this capability, with Edward Law of the University of Georgia as a consulting expert. Eventually, the NASA team developed a new design by learning from existing technology called a mister nozzle. The benefit of a mister is that even though the interior volume of the nozzle is small, the pressure inside never builds up, which makes it perfect for enclosed small spaces like the space station.
    As the sprayer industry is a tight-knit group, technology transfer professionals at NASA reached out to the companies that could use a nozzle like this on Earth. Electrostatic Spraying Systems responded and later licensed the sprayer design from the agency and incorporated it into the company’s Maxcharge product lines.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Study Finds Forever Chemicals Are More Toxic As Mixtures

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    research news

    UB PhD student Karla Ríos-Bonilla (left) and Diana Aga, director of the UB RENEW Institute, are authors on a study that assessed the mixture toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

    By TOM DINKI

    Published October 4, 2024

    A first-of-its-kind study has measured the toxicity of several types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as “forever chemicals,” when mixed together in the environment and in the human body.

    The good news: Most of the tested chemicals’ individual cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity levels were relatively low. 

    The bad news: The chemicals acted together to make the entire mixture toxic.

    “Though they are structurally similar, not all forever chemicals are made equal — some are more potent, others less. When mixed, all components contributed to the mixture’s cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity,” says the study’s first-author, Karla Ríos-Bonilla, a UB chemistry PhD student.

    “In the laboratory assays we used in this study, most of the types of PFAS that we tested did not appear to be very toxic when measured individually. However, when you measure an entire sample with multiple PFAS, you see the toxicity,” adds study co-author Diana Aga, SUNY Distinguished Professor, director of the RENEW Institute and Henry M. Woodburn Chair in the Department of Chemistry.

    This research was conducted in collaboration with Beate Escher of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany, where Ríos-Bonilla did the in vitro toxicity experiments in the high-throughput screening facility CITEPro. It was published Sept. 11 in Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

    The study is novel in that it assesses mixture toxicity of PFAS. These synthetic compounds have been widely used in consumer products — from nonstick pans to makeup — for decades, and they can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down, if ever. They are estimated to be in at least 45% of the nation’s drinking water and in the blood of practically every American, and they have been linked to cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders.

    Earlier this year, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first-ever drinking water standards for six kinds of PFAS. However, it is estimated that there are over 15,000 varieties present in the environment. Only a handful of these chemicals have standards and are regulated. 

    “There are six PFAS that can be regulated because we know a lot about them and their toxicity. Unfortunately, we cannot regulate other forms of PFAS until their toxicities are known,” says Aga, who is principal investigator of the EPA STAR grant that funded the research. “We need to set maximum contamination levels for each PFAS that is proportional to their toxicity. To regulate contaminants, it is crucial to know their relative potencies when they occur as mixtures in the environment, along with their predicted environmental concentrations.” 

    Other co-authors from UB are G. Ekin Atilla-Gokcumen, Dr. Marjorie E. Winkler Distinguished Professor and associate chair of the Department of Chemistry, and Judith Cristobal, senior research scientist.

    Ríos-Bonilla is also supported by a graduate fellowship from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

    PFOA, PFOS major contributors to mixture toxicity

    To conduct the study, researchers created their own PFAS mixtures, one that is representative of an average American’s blood serum, and the other of surface water samples found in the U.S. Ríos-Bonilla used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the average concentration ratios of PFAS in human blood and in surface water, respectively. 

    They then tested these mixtures’ effects on two cell lines: one that tests for mitochondrial toxicity and oxidative stress, and the other for neurotoxicity.

    Of the 12 PFAS spiked in the water mixture, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) — commonly used in nonstick pans and firefighting foam — was the most cytotoxic, making up to 42% of the mixture’s cytotoxicity.

    On the other hand, both PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) contributed roughly the same cytotoxicity (25%) to the neurotoxicity assay, despite both contributing only 10 and 15% to the mixture in terms of concentration, respectively. 

    The blood mixture had four PFAS present, but PFOA again was the most cytotoxic to both cell lines. Despite its molar contribution being only 29%, PFOA triggered 68% of the cytotoxicity in the cytotoxicity assay, and 38% in the neurotoxicity assay.

    Interestingly, when researchers analyzed the toxicity of the extracts from real biosolid samples collected from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, very high toxicities were observed, despite the measured low concentrations of PFOA and other PFAS in the sample. 

    “This means that there are many more PFAS and other chemicals in the biosolids, which have not been identified, that contribute to the toxicity of the extracts observed,” Aga says.

    Synergistically versus additive

    One of researchers’ goals was to determine if PFAS acts synergistically. This is when two or more chemicals’ combined effect is greater than the sum effect of the individual chemicals. However, their findings indicate that the effect of PFAS is concentration-additive: meaning that an established mixture toxicity prediction model can be used to predict the combined effect of mixtures. 

    “As up to 12 PFAS in the mixtures acted concentration-additive for cytotoxicity and specific neurotoxicity, it is likely that the thousands of other PFAS that are in commerce and use are also acting in the same manner,” Escher says. “Mixtures pose more of a risk than individual PFAS. As they act and occur in mixtures, they ought to be regulated as mixtures.”

    Researchers say the results of this study will also be very useful in assessing effectiveness of remediation efforts. Breaking down PFAS can sometimes create harmful byproducts that cannot be detected by chemical analysis, so measuring the toxicity of a sample after treatment may be the only way to judge whether a remediation technology is effective.

    “Toxicity assays can be a complimentary tool when analytical chemistry doesn’t give you all the answers, especially when the identities of contaminants in the mixture are unknown, which is the case in many polluted sites,” Aga says.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Ongoing Response and Recovery Efforts for Communities Impacted by Hurricane Helene

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    Thousands of active duty troops have joined National Guard across the southeast and Appalachia in response to Hurricane Helene – and our Administration will be with the survivors and communities every step of the way.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxdNA8iuJo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: EmpowerHER: 6th Annual CWV Breast Cancer & Domestic Violence Awareness Event featuring Ginger Miller

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Join us for an inspiring afternoon with Ginger Miller, a formerly homeless, service-disabled Navy Veteran and White House Champion of Change for Women Veterans. As President and CEO of the Women Veterans Interactive Foundation, Inc., and CWV 2019 Trailblazer, Ginger will share her powerful journey through breast cancer treatment at the VA. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear her incredible story of resilience and advocacy.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnl6iM2PArs

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Helping communities affected by Hurricane Helene

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    The Biden-Harris Administration continues to help the communities affected by Hurricane Helene, delivering swift emergency relief to restore damaged roads and bridges. More support is on the way as we assist in rebuilding and recovery efforts.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_dAu9TKmOY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: EmpowerHER: 6th Annual CWV Breast Cancer & Domestic Violence Awareness Event featuring Ginger Miller

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Join us for an inspiring afternoon with Ginger Miller, a formerly homeless, service-disabled Navy Veteran and White House Champion of Change for Women Veterans. As President and CEO of the Women Veterans Interactive Foundation, Inc., and CWV 2019 Trailblazer, Ginger will share her powerful journey through breast cancer treatment at the VA. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear her incredible story of resilience and advocacy.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnl6iM2PArs

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Joins Senate Republicans Marking Anniversary of Oct. 7 Attack on Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and all 46 of their Senate Republican colleagues marking the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that killed dozens of Americans. The senators will introduce a resolution fully condemning Iran-backed Hamas for its actions, supporting the forever survival of Israel and calling for the safe release of American hostages.
    The entire Senate Republican Conference stands united in opposing violent antisemitic protests and Iran-backed Hamas’ use of rape as a weapon of war. They also reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself and emphasize the importance of denying Hamas the ability to reconstitute in the region to ensure the horrific events of that day are never repeated. 
    “Hamas’ brutal attack on innocent victims will never be forgotten. As families still wait to be reunited with loved ones captured one year ago, our resolve is unwavering to bring these hostages home. The United States stands with Israel, one of our closest friends and allies, as it continues to defend itself and its people. I remain committed to supporting our partner in its fight against Iran-backed terrorists,” Boozman said.
    “This time last year, I woke up in the Middle East to the unbearable news that Israel was under attack by Iran-backed terrorists and Americans were being killed and taken hostage,” said Ernst. “I immediately traveled into Israel to show that our nation’s friendship is unwavering, in good times and bad. Regardless of whether I have been in Jerusalem, Washington, or Iowa, I have worked around the clock to hold the White House accountable to its ‘ironclad’ commitment, bring our hostages home, and cut off the source of terrorism in Tehran. One year since that day, as Israel remains under attack on all fronts, Senate Republicans stand united with our greatest ally in the Middle East.”
    Click here to view the resolution.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton Statement on One-Year Anniversary of the October 7 Terror Attacks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel:
    “I join Arkansans in commemorating the thousands of Israelis and Americans who were attacked, brutalized, kidnapped, and murdered one year ago today by Hamas. Over the last year, Iran’s terror network has waged war on Israel and besieged our own soldiers and sailors, leading to the death of American troops. The United States has a simple strategic and moral imperative, which is also the best way to rescue the hostages and honor the memory of the lost: back Israel to the hilt and let Israel win.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Joins GOP Colleagues in Resolution Standing with Israel, Condemning Hamas on October 7 Attack Anniversary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined all of her Senate Republican colleagues—led by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-W.Va.)—in a resolution marking one year since the October 7 terrorist attacks that killed dozens of Americans in Israel, fully condemning Iran-backed Hamas terrorists for their actions, supporting the survival of Israel, and calling for the safe release of American hostages.
    Senate Republicans stand united in opposing violent antisemitic protests and Hamas’s use of rape as a weapon of war. The senators also reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself and emphasized the importance of denying Hamas the ability to reconstitute in the region to ensure the horrific events of October 7, 2023 are never repeated.
    “One year ago today, Israel was brutally and indiscriminately attacked by Hamas terrorists in an act of sheer evil that resulted in more than one thousand innocent people viciously murdered by terrorists. I am particularly sickened by Hamas’s use of sexual violence on this dark day, an inexcusable and disgusting war crime that must be universally condemned and never again used as a weapon of war. One year after these terrorist attacks and more recent attacks against the Israeli state, I unequivocally stand with the Jewish people, including our communities in West Virginia,” Senator Capito said.
    Full text of the resolution can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Statement on Anniversary of October 7th Attack on Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    [embedded content]
    **Click here or the image above to watch Senator Capito’s video.**
    ***Click here to download Senator Capito’s video.***
    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today shared a video statement marking the one-year anniversary of the brutal attacks in Israel that killed more than one thousand innocent civilians, including American citizens.
    Additionally, this month, Senator Capito joined a resolution—led by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)—condemning this attack one year later.
    Full video transcript included below:
    “One year ago today, Israel was brutally and indiscriminately attacked by Hamas terrorists in an act of sheer evil.
    “On what Israelis will forever remember as ‘Black Saturday,’ more than one thousand innocent people in Israel were viciously murdered by terrorists.
    “We watched in horror as Hamas and other terror groups took women, children, and elderly Israelis as hostages, many of them gravely wounded.
    “Some of these hostages were survivors of the Holocaust.
    “I am particularly sickened by Hamas’s use of sexual violence on this dark day, an inexcusable and disgusting war crime that must be universally condemned and never again used as a weapon of war.
    “As we mark the one-year anniversary of October the 7th, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, I unequivocally stand with Israel and with the Jewish people, including our communities in West Virginia.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding for Rochester International Airport

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced they secured significant federal funding for Rochester International Airport for infrastructure improvements. The grant provides $15,774,313 to construct 1,647 feet of Runway 31’s safety area, reconstruct 6,450 feet of existing Runway 3/21, construct 2.5 miles of new service road, install 15,000 feet of wildlife perimeter fencing, and extend Runway 3/21 an additional 1,647 feet in length to bring the airport into conformity with current standards.
    “Rochester International Airport is an essential link for residents and businesses in Olmsted County and beyond,” said Klobuchar. “This federal grant will make needed infrastructure updates to ensure the airport can continue serving travelers for years to come.”
    “I’m glad to see the Biden-Harris administration once again delivering for travelers in Minnesota and around the country,” said Smith. “Small and regional airports like the Rochester International Airport are vital parts of their communities and this funding will go directly towards constructing runways and services to ensure it is safe and functional for travelers.”
    This funding is from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which provides federal grants for airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, signage, lighting, and markings.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Seizure of contraband and unauthorized items at the Federal Training Centre

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    On October 4, 2024, as a result of the vigilance of the staff, contraband and unauthorized items were seized at the Federal Training Centre, a multi-level security federal institution.

    October 7, 2024 – Laval, Quebec – Correctional Service Canada

    On October 4, 2024, as a result of the vigilance of the staff, contraband and unauthorized items were seized at the Federal Training Centre, a multi-level security federal institution.

    The contraband and unauthorized items seized included hashish. The total estimated institutional value of the seizure is $64,031.

    The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions. These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates, and visitors.

    CSC is heightening measures to prevent contraband from entering its institutions in order to help ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone. CSC also works in partnership with the police to take action against those who attempt to introduce contraband into correctional institutions.

    CSC has also set up a telephone tip line for all federal institutions so that it may receive additional information about activities relating to security at CSC institutions. These activities may be related to drug use or trafficking that may threaten the safety and security of visitors, inmates, and staff members working at CSC institutions.

    The toll-free number, 1‑866‑780‑3784, helps ensure that the information shared is protected and that callers remain anonymous.

    -30-

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Tribunal Initiates Expiry Review—Hot-rolled Carbon Steel Plate and High-strength Low-alloy Steel Plate from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania

    Source: Government of Canada News

    The Canadian International Trade Tribunal today initiated an expiry review of its order made on October 31, 2019, in expiry review RR-2018-007, to determine if the expiry of the order is likely to lead to continued or resumed dumping of hot-rolled carbon steel plate and high-strength low-alloy steel plate from the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania and is likely to result in injury to the domestic industry.

    Ottawa, Ontario, October 7, 2024—The Canadian International Trade Tribunal today initiated an expiry review of its order made on October 31, 2019, in expiry review RR-2018-007, to determine if the expiry of the order is likely to lead to continued or resumed dumping of hot-rolled carbon steel plate and high-strength low-alloy steel plate from the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania and is likely to result in injury to the domestic industry.

    No later than March 6, 2025, the Canada Border Services Agency will determine if there is a likelihood of resumed or continued dumping. In the event of a positive determination, the Tribunal will determine, no later than August 13, 2025, whether the continued or resumed dumping is likely to result in injury to the domestic industry.

    The Tribunal is an independent quasi-judicial body that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Finance. It hears cases on dumped and subsidized imports, safeguard complaints, complaints about federal government procurement and appeals of customs and excise tax rulings. When requested by the federal government, the Tribunal also provides advice on other economic, trade and tariff matters.

    Any interested person, association or government that wishes to participate in the Tribunal’s expiry review may do so by filing Form I—Notice of Participation. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: CRTC takes action to help reduce roaming fees for Canadians

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Today, the CRTC is taking action to help make cellphone use more affordable when Canadians travel internationally and within Canada.

    October 7, 2024 – Ottawa-Gatineau – Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

    Today, the CRTC is taking action to help make cellphone use more affordable when Canadians travel internationally and within Canada.  

    When it comes to international travel, the CRTC has heard that Canadians pay too much in roaming fees. The CRTC conducted a review to examine these fees. To inform the review, the CRTC obtained and analyzed confidential information from Canadian cellphone companies. It also considered the findings of a number of studies and reviewed public information on roaming.

    The CRTC found that Canadians often end up paying high fees when roaming. Roaming fees for Canadian travelers are often inflexible, causing consumers to pay a flat fee of $10 to $16 per day regardless of how much they use their cellphone. The CRTC’s priority is to ensure that Canadians have the flexibility to choose an affordable plan that best meets their needs.

    To address these concerns, the CRTC is calling on large cellphone companies to take immediate action to provide affordable roaming options. Companies must inform the CRTC by November 4, 2024, of the concrete steps they are taking to respond to these concerns. If the CRTC finds that sufficient progress is not made, it will launch a formal public proceeding.

    The CRTC is also taking steps to help make it more affordable for Canadians to travel within Canada. Domestic wholesale roaming rates are the fees that cellphone service providers pay when their customers travel outside of the provider’s coverage area. These fees are a key factor that providers use when setting prices for cellphone plans.

    Many agreements that set the wholesale roaming rates between cellphone service providers are several years old with rates that do not reflect today’s market. The CRTC is therefore requiring providers to set new rates through timely negotiations with each other. If cellphone providers cannot come to an agreement, the CRTC will set the rates using a process known as final offer arbitration. The CRTC expects this will result in lower prices.

    The CRTC will continue to actively monitor roaming rates.

    Quote

    “Canadians need to stay connected when they travel, but often come home to high cellphone bills. The CRTC is taking action to help reduce roaming fees and is ready to launch a formal public proceeding if Canadians’ concerns are not addressed.”

    – Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, CRTC

    Quick facts

    • The CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. The CRTC holds public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and makes decisions based on the public record.
    • Under the CRTC’s Wireless Code, service providers cannot charge more than $100 for domestic and international data roaming within a month or per billing cycle. Service providers must also notify users when they are roaming internationally.

    Associated links

    General Inquiries
    Telephone: 819-997-0313
    Toll free: 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
    TTY: 819-994-0423

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MSA Marks 25th Anniversary with Celebration on Oct. 17

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The MSA program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, a significant milestone for the trailblazing program that consistently ranks among the best in the nation.

    “I wish I could take the spirit, the energy, and the interaction that occurs in this program, bottle it and present it to potential students,’’ said accounting professor Steve Pedneault, who owns a forensic accounting firm and has been teaching in the program since 2007. “If they knew how special it is here, they would all come to UConn.’’

    He said he speaks with colleagues and students around the country, who confirm that UConn MSA is unique.

    “First, our professors are experts in the field. You’re learning forensic accounting from an expert, you’re learning tax law from people who worked at the IRS,’’ he said.

    “What we also do better than anyone else is our level of interaction with students,’’ he said. “When I started here, the leadership made it clear if you’re not going to have a high level of interaction with students, you’re not going to be here long!’’

    Celebration Dinner Slated for Oct. 17

    To honor its history and achievement, the MSA program is having a 25th anniversary dinner Oct. 17. Faculty, alumni, students, and business partners are welcome to attend.

    “We are very excited to be hosting this event and to recognize the MSA program for how groundbreaking it was,’’ said Professor George Plesko, head of the accounting department. “We’re proud that we have maintained the program’s excellence, despite the increased competition, and regularly receive national recognition among the best online programs in the country. There are many people who have contributed to that success and I am grateful for them all.’’

    The MSA program began in-person in 1999 and quickly converted to an online format, an approach to education that was almost unheard of then. In the last decade, U.S. News has consistently ranked the program among the Top 10 in the nation.

    Part of a World-Class Institution

    Professor Irene Louth ’02, ’03 MSA is the Chief Tax Officer and Vice President of Taxation at Atlas Air and a two-time UConn alumna. She holds the accounting program in the highest regard.

    “UConn is a world-class institution, and it was a privilege to be part of the UConn Accounting community,’’ she said. “My accounting degrees opened doors for me, and I had many companies competing for my skills. Because of my education at UConn, I passed my CPA exam on the first try with one of the top scores in the state. My UConn experience was excellent and allowed me to step into the world of accounting.’’

    When she was approached about an opportunity to teach in the program two years ago, she didn’t hesitate. She said it was an honor to apply her knowledge and experience and nurture the next generation of professionals.

    “The MSA program instills a great sense of readiness for the learners,’’ she said. “UConn prepares you for what comes next, whether it’s the CPA exam or life as a young professional.’’

    Caring Faculty, High Performing Students

    Alumna Christine D. Gagnon ’02, ’03 MSA , ‘08 MBA is Chief Financial Officer of Roha Group, a New York-based private equity firm, and CEO of Odin Frigg, a boutique agency and advisory services firm. She said that one of the most memorable aspects of the MSA program is the quality and engagement of the faculty.

    “The faculty were very caring and invested,’’ she said. “My fellow students were all of a solid caliber and were striving for high performance as they prepared to enter the professional workforce. Having a peer group of the highest quality was helpful. I’m still in touch with many of my classmates today.’’

    She also appreciated the convenience and flexibility that allowed her to work in the profession, with all the seasonal and client-related demands, while completing her MSA.

    “The Big Four were well connected within the department,’’ she said. “From the university to the profession, everything was well aligned and very relevant. In addition, the program was practical; I could immediately apply the lessons I’d learned.’’

    Louth said she thinks more milestones are on the horizon for the MSA program. “I wish the UConn MSA program another 25-, 75- and 125-year anniversary with quality candidates, faculty, and staff,’’ she said. “I’m biased but I think there is no accounting program that’s better.’’

    The MSA 25th anniversary celebration on Oct. 17 is open to alumni and current students. Tickets are $25 per person. The event begins at 5:45 and runs until 9 p.m. at the Alumni Center in Storrs. To register, please visit: https://msaccounting.uconn.edu/anniversary/. For more information, please contact Erika Durning at Erika.Durning@uconn.edu.

    MIL OSI USA News –